


how to say i love you

by broikawa



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Couch Cuddles, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dirty Jokes, Domestic Fluff, Flirting, Fluff, Gentle Kissing, Grocery Shopping, I Love You, Idiots in Love, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Late Night Conversations, Light Angst, M/M, Making Out, Morning Kisses, Neck Kissing, Ronan Lynch Loves Adam Parrish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 06:43:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17934785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broikawa/pseuds/broikawa
Summary: ronan lynch knows how to use his words when he wants to.or; the different ways ronan tells adam how much he cares.





	how to say i love you

i.

 

 

To Ronan, there was almost nothing better than laying himself on Adam’s chest. The slow up and down of his breathing and the soft, but steady, rhythm of his heartbeat put him at ease no matter the circumstances, and the feeling of Adam’s hands on his head, his back, his arms was enough to get him asleep in minutes. The blanket, lying lazily across the two of them, was soft on their bare legs. Television was a common distraction for neither Ronan nor Adam, but they found themselves on the couch in front of it despite.

Kissing, unlike television, was a common distraction for the both of them.

Ronan had his lips on Adam’s neck, ignoring the sound from the TV and whatever was happening on it. He only placed small kisses here and there, but they were kisses nonetheless.

“What are you doing?” Adam asked him, looking down without moving.

“Kissing you,” he mumbled against his skin.

“I thought we were watching this.”

He groaned, moving his head back to Adam’s chest.

He looked up at him.

He eyed his neck again.

Adam sat in a way that exposed his neck that was almost unfair to Ronan, like he was asking him put his lips on him without saying anything.

He moved himself back up, returning to the freckle he had been kissing before.

“Ronan,” he said.

“What?”

“We need to leave in an hour,” he reminded him, though he made no effort to remove Ronan from his neck.

“Well,” he said, kissing him once more before continuing, “if we’re late, they’ll know why.” He put his mouth back on the spot again.

Adam held back a smile.

He slowly made his way up his neck, hands moving from hips to waist, only stopping at his ear and a spot on his jaw that made him feel woozy in more places than one.

“Ronan,” Adam crooned.

He looked at him. “You okay?”

“Mhm.”

“ **We can stop if you want** ,” he told him, care threaded through each word.

Adam shook his head. “I don’t want to stop.”

“Can I kiss you, then?” Ronan asked, millimetres from doing so.

He nodded this time, and Ronan’s lips were on his in less than an instant.

Adam felt him toying with his bottom lip, resulting in a sound from him and a satisfied smile from the other. Their noses brushed and pushed and nuzzled, making them smile, but neither of them ever faltered. They were clumsy and adoring and so wrapped in both love and each other. They moved together, Adam’s leg wrapping around Ronan’s, and Ronan’s other leg pushing against Adam. 

“Fuck,” pushed past Ronan’s lips into Adam’s, making him moan. He moaned again when Ronan pushed his tongue past his lips as well. He moved his hand under Adam’s shirt, feeling his smile against him.

It was lips and tongues and tenderness and yearning. It was hands and hips and desire. It was so wholly  _ them _ .

The blanket fell to the floor.

To Ronan, there was almost nothing better than kissing Adam.

 

 

 

ii.

 

 

It was late, nearing midnight, when Ronan came back from a drive. The sky was cold and dark, though comforting at the same time, and the air had cleared his head as it always did. He’d left when an uncomfortable jolt of energy began to flare inside him and was on the road within a few minutes time. It been a while – over an hour, if he had to guess – and he was sure Adam, who was sat at the dining table with a textbook in front of him, had been looking up every few minutes to see if he had come back. Not that he could know for sure with his cell phone still on the couch, though.

The door opened with a familiar creak. Ronan kicked off his boots,  pushing them against the wall with his foot. He reached his arms up as he walked past the couch, hearing a satisfying pop in his shoulder, and looked into the kitchen to find Adam.

Adam, who was still sat at the table.

Adam, who was wearing a sweater that was both not his and almost too big.

Adam, who was always reminding Ronan what love felt like.

He walked to stand behind him, leaning over to drape his arms over his shoulders. Adam leaned back, relaxing into him. Placing a kiss behind his ear, Ronan looked at the paper-and-pencil covered table, then back at him.

“How long have you been sitting here?” he asked, mouth pressed on a freckle on his neck. “You’re in the same place as you were when I left.”

Adam looked up at him, leaving a kiss on the side of his face. “Five hours, maybe.”

“Holy shit, five?” he repeated. “Please tell me you’ve stood up.”

“I’ve stretched.” His eyes were full of both drowsiness and thought, as they usually were. His head remained on Ronan’s shoulder.

Adam spoke again. “I have to get this done.”

“Then do it,” he told him. “Pretend I’m not here.”

He sighed, knowing not to argue against his boyfriend’s affection, and went back to work.

Ronan looked at him and the glow of the ceiling lamp on his face, how it made his tired eyes look so gentle, his cheeks softer than clouds, his freckles like the stars. The warmness of the light filled him with a feeling of home, comfortable and familiar. Enamoured, if one were to describe Ronan, was an understatement.

“Are you staring at me?” Adam asked, eyes on his books.

“Always,” he answered simply. “You’re fucking pretty, you know that?”

Ronan saw him smile. “You’re so…”

“I’m so what? Romantic?” he suggested. “Absolutely adorable?”

“Sappy, I was going to say. Adorable works too.”

Ronan smiled too.

“Can I get back to work now?” he asked.

His smile broke, turning to a pout. “Come lay down with me.”

“I still have stuff to do.”

“ **You need to take a break** ,” he said, “or you’re actually going to die.”

Adam didn’t look up. “I’m not going to die.”

“You’re totally going to die.” He stayed wrapped around his boyfriend, rubbing his nose on the back of his ear. “You’re going to have to stop at some point.”

“I will,” he hummed. Ronan sighed again.

He kissed the top of his head before removing himself from his shoulders. “Have fun with physics, then.”

“Calculus,” Adam corrected.

“Calculus, whatever.” Walking to the living room, he stopped in the doorway, looking back at him. “Seriously though, Parrish. You really are fucking pretty.”

Ronan saw him smile again.

 

 

 

iii.

 

 

“I really hope you have the list with you,” Adam said, walking behind Ronan into the grocery store.

“It’s… somewhere,” Ronan said.

“Did you forget the list?” He raised an eyebrow.

“No, it’s right…” He searched in his pockets, pulling out a small piece of paper. “See, list.” He waved in in front of Adam’s face.

They started through the store, following the natural pattern of shelves and isles, as well as their usual route. Thursday afternoon wasn’t the ideal time for a trip, considering the busy parents looking for something to make for their kids later that evening or the younger high schoolers who were probably skipping their classes, but it wasn’t crawling with as many customers as it usually was.

“I really don’t feel like cooking tonight,” Adam said with a yawn, stretching his arms out in front of him. “Can we just get take-out or something?”

“ **I can make dinner tonight** ,” Ronan offered.

He stood up straighter. “Really?”

“Yes,  _ really _ ,” he said. “Whatever you want. Just don’t be an asshole and pick something difficult.”

“Stir fry?” he suggested.

“Shit, babe, when’re you going to pick something else?”

“I like your stir fry,” he defended. “The one with the noodles. Please?”

He paused briefly before answering. “Fine.”

“You’re the best.” he said.

They continued going down their list while grabbing a few extras. Adam placed his hand on the bar of the cart, overlapping it with Ronan’s.

He looked down at their hands. “All right, no need to get cute, Parrish,” he teased, moving his fingers to wrap around Adam’s.

“You love it, _Lynch_ ,” he teased back.

“Maybe,” he said. “You love it more, though.”

Adam chuckled. “We’re gross.”

“Oh, completely,” he agreed. They turned the cart, moving into the isle of breakfast cereals and oatmeal. Adam looked at the cereal. Ronan had a thought.

“Hey, babe?” he said.

He turned away from the shelves, looking at him. “Hm?”

“Do you think I’d be too heavy to sit in the cart and make you push me?” he asked, gaining a snicker out of Adam in the process.

“First of all, no, I think I could push you just fine. Second of all, last time one of us got in the cart, we almost got kicked out of the store.”

Ronan came to his own defence. “That was  _ one _ time.”

“It still happened!” he told him. “I’d like to have a place to buy groceries, thanks, so, no, you’re not getting in the cart.”

“I never get to have any fun, do I?” he asked, looking down at Adam.

“Nope,” he replied, wide smile across his face. “No fun allowed.”

Ronan hummed. “I’m sure we could have some fun later, though.”

“Shut up,” Adam laughed. Ronan’s heart swelled at the sound; he kissed the top of Adam’s head gently.

“You’re cute,” he commented.

“You’re cuter.”

 

 

 

iv.

 

 

Insomnia fucking sucked.

Ronan just wanted to get sleep. He would’ve taken a melatonin pill if he had any, but driving anywhere to get some in his state between wakefulness and passing out seemed like a bad idea; he was stuck staring at the ceiling. His brain was desperate to stay awake no matter how much his body fought against it. His eyes were heavy, like he could feel the bags underneath them slipping down farther with every blink. 

He probably would've been able to get to sleep if Adam were there.

_ Maybe I should call him _ , he thought.  _ He’s probably sleeping though _ .

He reached for his phone anyway, and  Adam picked up on the third ring. “Hi,” he said, “what do you want?”

“You could be a little more polite, Parrish.” His voice was full of sleep and rasp.

“Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “Hey, babe. How are you? Is that better?”

“So much better.”

Adam yawned. “How was your day today?”

He shrugged. “It was all right, I guess. Missed you, though.”

“I miss you, too.”

Ronan smiled, but it faded quickly.

“Ronan?”

“Hm?”

“Is something wrong?”

“No,” he said, quiet.

“Are you sure?”

They were both silent for an instant.

“ **I wanted to hear your voice** ,” he said, quieter.

Adam exhaled, and Ronan could tell he was smiling. 

For the most part, it didn’t bother him when he was away. He was happy for him, to say the least; happy that he was doing what he wanted and that he was where he wanted to be.

He still missed him, though.

Some days were worse than others. Some days, he would barely think about it. Some days, it was so much that he didn’t want to get up. Some days, he felt it in his stomach, his arms, his chest. Some days, all he would do is long for him. Long for his lips, his eyes, his touch. Long for his smile, long for his hands. Those hands, _his_ hands, that he missed so dearly.

He felt something in the corners of his eyes.

He blinked it away.

“As much as I’d love to stay on the line with you,” Adam said, “I should go back to bed.”

Ronan pressed his lips together. “Right.”

“Sorry, I just...” He yawned again. “I need to get up early tomorrow.”

“It’s okay,” he said. He wondered how true it was.

“It was nice to talk to you though,” he added, “even though it’s late.”

“Mhm.” He felt stuck in his head.

Another pause.

“Ronan?”

“Hm?”

“I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? After classes.”

“Okay.” His chest began to ache.

“G'night, babe.”

“Night.”

The line died.

Ronan felt his phone buzz in his hand.

_ Parrish: forgot to say i love u!! <3 gn _

He texted him back – a goodnight with a heart.

His chest hurt even more.

Something was in his eyes again, but he didn’t blink it back.

 

 

 

v.

 

 

One of the benefits of sort-of-living with your boyfriend was waking up beside him, which is why Ronan frowned when he didn’t find Adam laying on the other side of the bed.  He groaned, getting up to look for a shirt, not bothering grab any pants. The only hints to Adam’s whereabouts were clattering noises from the floor below, and Ronan padded down the hallway to find him. The floor was cool under his feet.

“You’d think he’d sleep in more considering how late he stays up,” he muttered to himself walking down the stairs, “but  _ no _ , he always has to get up at the ass crack of the fucking morning.” He found him in the kitchen at the stove, egg carton and milk jug on the counter next to him. He turned around when Ronan stepped into the room.

“Good morning,” he hummed, turning back to the food in the pan.

“Morning.” His hands, as they often did, found their way to Adam’s waist, just as his lips found their way to the back of his neck. “Why’d you let me get up alone?”

“I’m making you breakfast,” he said flatly.

“Still.”

Adam continued cooking.

“Maybe after we eat we could go upstairs and I could have something else for breakfast,” he suggested, pushing his fingertips into Adam’s waistband.

He blushed, holding back a smile.

“Well?”

“I’ll think about it.”

He kissed his neck. “Think about it faster.”

He turned off the gas after moving the pan and putting down the spatula in his hand and turned around, placing an arm over Ronan’s shoulder and his hand on his cheek.

“Maybe.”

“You’re such an asshole sometimes,” Ronan said. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

“I could say the same for you.”

Chuckling, he pulled Adam closer. “Fucking tease.” He kissed him, softly, and moved one of his hands down past both the band of his pants and his hips. Adam whined at the sudden pressure from him, but kept his mouth against his. Ronan purred against his lips as he was moved backwards into the counter.

They slowed down eventually, placing small kisses on each others lips and cheeks and noses. Ronan looked at him properly, studying his face, admiring every dip and spot and blemish. He softened, then sighed.

“ **I love you** ,” he whispered, like it was a secret only meant for the two of them.

Adam blushed again, letting a smile find his way to his face.

He hit Ronan in the shoulder.

“Why are you so needy in the morning?” he asked, eyebrows pressing inwards.

Ronan pressed his nose against his cheek and brushed his lips against his jaw. “I have to put my energy somewhere. Besides, you love it.”

Adam let his lips brush against his cheek and breathed, taking in every bit of Ronan that he could. “I love you, too,” he said into his skin. Another whisper – another secret – exchanged between the two.

They kissed again; soft and amorous and sensual all at once.

 

Oh, what an experience loving Adam Parrish was.

**Author's Note:**

> aaaah i really hope you liked this i had a lot of fun writing it i love pynch w all my heart
> 
> tumblr: mlm-tooru


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